Mortal Kombat began twenty-seven years ago and has seen over a dozen videogame releases, big screen movies, comics, TV shows, and even conventions (Kombat Kon) in the Chicago area (where it all began). All these years later, the franchise continues on, having regained its prestige since NetherRealm Studios took development over in 2011. This week saw the release of MK11, which I was fortunate enough to receive a review kode for.
When you think of MK, several things come to mind. For me, it was the aura of a mysterious, ultra violent game, the eager anticipation of playing at the arcade or getting home from school to play on Genesis. It was awe at MKII, and frustrating fights with Shao Kahn in MK3. MK4 was a letdown, but Deadly Alliance was incredible, and I 100%’d the Krypt (which is far bigger and more interactive now in MK11). I didn’t play much of Deception or Armageddon, but I have those on my shelf. MK9 and MKX were awesome, featuring large story modes with lots of well-done cutscenes. MK11 continues the story mode, offering a compelling five hour experience. Yeah, there are a lot of cheesy themes and ridiculousness, but it’s not done half-heartedly. From the violence and fatalities to the silliness of the story, I can’t help but believe that a lot of effort and heart went into this. You’re either a fan or you’re not, and having been familiar with these characters over the years and enjoying the games, I chose to dig in, and I was rewarded for doing so (by having fun). I found myself intrigued and honestly interested in what was about to take place in the story and which characters would show up next.
Story mode introduces us to Shinnok’s mother, Kronika. Cassie Cage defeated Shinnok, and Raiden, having taken his amulet, became corrupted and unbalanced the different realms in order to protect Earthrealm. Kronika has the ability to manipulate time, and she’s working to do so, but needs time and protection to rewrite history. She enlists the help of the ‘bad guys,’ including the revenant forms of Kitana, Jade, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao, the Black Dragon clan, Geras (a tough new character that can’t die), fallen members of the Lin Kuei (cyber Frost), and others. They are to hold off the good guys and prepare a massive undead army while Kronika alters this giant hourglass in order to change the timeline for all realms to her liking.
Raiden, Sub-Zero, the Cages, Jacqui, Sub-Zero, and others are all fighting the good fight to disrupt her plans. Over the course of about twelve chapters, during which you play as every good character (and at times having the option to choose between two characters), the story unfolds. It’s honestly a lot of fun, has no load times, pausible cutscenes — and in addition to being entertaining and getting a chance to experience much of the roster, you earn a variety of koins and other in-game currency and unlocks along the way (including some that you cannot unlock any other way). Story mode is absolutely worth playing through, and it’s the first thing I would recommend you do after playing through the tutorial mode.
You might not think a tutorial mode is worthwhile, but I have to give NetherRealm credit on the tutorial mode in MK11. After the first 12GB of the game had downloaded, the tutorial was ready for play, so I hopped in. I really liked two things about it that I’m not sure I have seen in other fighting games. First, during combo training, hourglass icons appear on the screen to help you to keep rhythm so as to execute the combo correctly. Secondly, and better still, for all tutorials, you have the option to instantly watch a demo of the action in question being performed. There is zero load time for this, you just press the Touchpad and you will see demonstration of the action performed. In the lower left corner you will see a DualShock4 controller, and as actions are done, button presses are not only highlighted, but each section of a move is given a unique audio cue. This might sound like I am making a lot out of nothing, and perhaps other fighting games have done this in the past too — but these two aids helped me a lot to get my timing right.
Speaking of controls, I have, since 2008’s MK vs DC Universe, really appreciated the simplicity that the franchise has gone with in as far as executing special moves. There are no half circles or diagonals — it’s all left/right/down/up and face buttons. You can press L2 to flip your stance, R2 to block, and I believe it’s L1 (or R1) to throw. Performing actions in MK11 is very accessible, but there are layers of nuance to strive for as well beyond the typical study of character reach, speed, and combos. I think every stage has offensive and defensive interactables too, up to three of these. Typically they’re found at the far edges and in the middle of the stages, and might include something you can grab your opponent and smash them into (a cactus for example) or it might be a spear or just something you can hop off of and create a lot of space between you and your opponent. Some of these interactables move, such as a Tarkatan in the background that is walking by.
Knowing your characters’ specials and combos is key, as is using interactables which can quickly change the odds in a match. Similarly, Fatal Blows can as well, and these are like the X-Ray moves from the recent MK games. When your character’s health is below 30%, you can perform a Fatal Blow by pressing L2+R2, if you have enough Offensive meter built up. If it connects, you will dock your opponent about 30% of their health, and you’re treated to a several second long animation of your character unleashing a barrage of nasty attacks (these can get a little bit redundant after the xth time, but nevertheless).
Shifting gears, in addition to the Story and Practice modes, which also include practicing fatalities, you can play local or online and there are a couple of Tower modes too. Towers of Time offers several time-based towers in which you battle against a variety of enemies. There are also the regular Towers of varying length and difficulty. New to the mix this time however are a variety of “Konsumables” that you can call upon during a match, often multiple times, to achieve victory. Konsumables include offensive and defensive aids and are based on various elements like Blood and Energy. Some Konsumables cause a vampiric missile to fly at the enemy to steal health, others cause poison to rain from the skies, and yet others call in brief help from another character (like Cyrax jumping in to cast his net over your opponent for a free hit). You can use a Konsumable by pressing the right stick in the specified direction, as shown next to your health meter. Konsumables can be crafted at the Forge which is found within the Krypt, and they can also be bought/found in the Krypt as well. Completing Towers and Daily Challenges (and there are Weekly ones as well) can net you a ton of koins and other currency and items as well. Konsumables add another layer of nuance to battles that, eh, I’m not super into yet; but it’s a well thought out addition nonetheless, and it absolutely does make playing through the more challenge Towers more feasible and enjoyable.
Having mentioned the Krypt now, it’s one of my favorite parts of MK11. The Krypt began in MK: Deadly Alliance. Back then, it was a 26×26 grid based on the alphabet and players took the various jeweled koins they earned in playing the game and spent them in the Krypt to unlock concept art and storyboards and other goodies like that. The Krypt for MK11 is massively expanded and really a whole experience unto itself. The Kollector also resides here, and you can trade goods with him. Played in a third person perspective with an unnamed character, you arrive on Shang Tsung’s island, where the first MK tournament was held. There are, as far as I can tell to this point, hundreds of treasure chests to unlock, offering not just making-of/behind the scenes goods, but also character Augments and Brutalities, Konsumables, Forge Recipes, and more. Better still, this isn’t just a loot box hunt, there is a lot of cool lore woven into the massive Krypt that fans of the series will no doubt enjoy. You have to find keys to open up new areas, you wield Shao Kahn’s hammer to smash through certain walls and break urns for extra koins, Soul Fragments can be used to rebuild pathways — there’s a lot going on here. You will even hear and see comets crashing down from the sky that sometimes contain special items (including a certain Konsumable that can cause a comet to fall). I really enjoyed being able to explore Goro’s Lair and his Dining Hall, as well as walk around the bottom of the Pit, finding a broken Motaro horn that opened up a new path, etc etc — there is just a lot of cool fan service things going on in the Krypt, in addition to a lot of intriguing unlockables, that keeps me coming back.
And I keep coming back to MK11 because it’s fun and I feel like I get something out of playing every time. I also love the presentation; technically it’s an impressive feast for the eyes in 4K HDR. Framerates are silk; animations are great, maybe a bit too cartoonish on the blood at times, but to be sure it’s a great looking game. The audio package is excellent; I loved the voices of Noob Saibot and Skarlet, and having the actor from the ’95 MK movie do the voice of Shang Tsung was a great move. It’s fun hearing him sometimes mention things to you as you explore deeper into the Krypt, things like how Goro was his favorite champion and so on. Effects and voice-acting is stellar, but I admit I would have liked the music to be more memorable and immersive than it has been so far. Dan Forden’s music in previous Mortal Kombats is legendary, and for as much as I remember the characters, the violence, the backgrounds, etc., I also remember the music that blended so well with the rest of the game and really boosted the experience. The music in MK11 is just not on par with the old MKs, and I suppose that’s to be expected, I guess. The music in MK11 is good — it’s just not awesome like older MK experiences.
In sum, the MK11 experience is superb and easy to recommend to any fan of the series or fighters in general.
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